Rodents are a group of mammals belonging to the order Rodentia characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. Rodents make up about 40% of all mammal species. They are native to all major landmasses except Antarctica and several oceanic islands, though they have subsequently been introduced to most of these landmasses by human activity. Most rodents are small animals with robust bodies, short limbs, and long tails. They use their sharp incisors to gnaw food, excavate burrows, and defend themselves. Most eat seeds or other plant material, but some have more varied diets.
In the News
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake strikes the southern coast of Mindanao in the Philippines, leaving at least 37 people dead (landslide pictured).
The racehorse Secretariat, of Meadow Stables (racing colors pictured), won the Belmont Stakes by 31 lengths, achieving the first American Triple Crown victory in a quarter of a century.
Fighting began between the Viet Cong and the Army of the Republic of Vietnam in the Battle of Đồng Xoài, one of the largest battles in the Vietnam War.
During hearings investigating conflicting accusations between the United States Army and Senator Joseph McCarthy, Army lawyer Joseph N. Welch asked McCarthy: "At long last, have you left no sense of decency?"
American Civil War: Confederate General Stonewall Jackson concluded his successful Shenandoah Valley campaign with a victory in the Battle of Port Republic.
In an act of defiance against the Navigation Acts, American colonists led by Abraham Whipple (pictured) attacked and burned the British schooner Gaspee.
Parisian printer Simon de Colines was fined for printing biblical commentary by Jacques Lefèvre d'Étaples without obtaining prior approval from theologians.
